all i know about my kindle:

1) i have so far been able to get all but 2 books i was looking for on it.

2) why, yes, i do read 5 or 6 books per month, at least (not all hardback, to be sure). this past month, i think i plowed through 12 or 13. of course, that may, in part, be due to the kindle being very convenient to lug around.

3) it sure is easier than lugging a couple books on every business trip i have to take.

4) it is a lot more comfortable than reading on a laptop, especially on a plane. and not nearly so battery hungry.

4a) it's easier to read almost anyplace (other than a desk) than a laptop, come to think of it.

5) it sucked when i was telling a guy who just discovered chuck klosterman that he should check out _downtown owl_, because it's a great book and i just finished re-reading it, and i'd loan/give it to him except that it's on my kindle.

6) i don't like there being a record of everything i read on my kindle out there for amazon/_insert random government agency_/etc. to see, but frankly it's not nearly as embarassing/suspicious as the things i look at on my web browser, and i figure someone at my isp is currently being treated to hookers/blow/[hookers & blow] by the nsa in exchange for turning over my browsing records, anyway. i have no illusions of privacy.

the thing has pros and cons like any other media format. but the last time i moved, i had a truckload of books. literally. a one-ton pickup truck full of books. the idea of being able to read what i want (whenever i want) without acquiring another truckload of physical book-objects is worth the downside to me. and thus i got this kindle. and i like it so far.

drm considerations aside (a bit bothered by them, to be sure), i recommend for folks who read a lot or are very sensitive to weight/size considerations when travelling. and, of course, try to check one out first to make sure you can comfortably read on it...

for me, economics didn't play too much of an issue, it was more about the device itself. plus, much like corn ethanol, i see this as a needed step to get between a crappy, inefficient old process to a new, cool one. and i guess if kindle 1.0 is an intermediate step on that journey, as someone who like to read (lots) i am happy to support, etc...

there are some small design issues with the kindle, but overall i find it about as comfortable as reading a paper book. and that's good enough for me.